


A Learning Experience

by Ponyup



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2018-01-15 17:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1313824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ponyup/pseuds/Ponyup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chrom and Panne. The prince of a nation and commander of an army, and an immigrating survivor of a dead race. Their circumstances could not be more different, yet, they could not be more alike. Bold, strong, confident: they fight for themselves and those around them even when they have so much more at stake.</p>
<p>So when they meet in the midst of a world slowly slipping into chaos, sparks are bound to fly.</p>
<p>Of course, neither of them have much practice in the way of romance, so we'll just call this... a learning experience.</p>
<p>(This is what you get when I am denied my fluffy-bunny-princy-canon.)<br/>(I also think Lucina would look adorable with bunny ears.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Learning Experience

Chrom looked at his best friend with a curious expression, “Partners?”

The single-worded question bounced through the Shepherds barracks while the whole army looked at Robin.

“Yes, partners.” The tactician continued, “Let me explain: Fighting as a single unit might have worked for us this far, but these battles are getting bigger alarmingly fast. I think it’s a good idea for everyone to have someone to rely on when things get rough.” 

It seemed reasonable enough, so everyone murmured in agreement.

“I’ll choose a partner for each of you that amplifies your strengths and makes up for your weaknesses. And who knows? You might even become good friends!”

Everyone looked at Robin warily. The Shepherds got along for the most part, but Chrom could admit that they weren’t the most close-knit group. And while he liked to think of himself as an excellent swordsman, he knew that having someone who could assist him with lancers or mages would help.

“I’m still figuring out would work best for us but I have the basics worked out, so just come to me before the next battle and I should have your assignments by then.”

The crowd was silent for a moment before Sully spoke up, “Hey Robin, I’m not sayin’ having a partner’s a bad idea, but what if we don’t like them?” The army murmured in agreement and Chrom nodded his head too; while he was grateful for all the members of the army lending their strength for his cause, some of them had certain… traits… that could be testing.

Robin looked at the warriors before him while a happy smile made its way across his face, “Of course I will take your feelings into consideration.” then his smile became a bit dark, “Although, I tend to believe that mutual survival is an excellent social lubricant…” And with that said the hooded man left the barracks.

The assorted Shepherds were used to Robin’s slightly odd mannerisms so they decided to shrug it off and went back to eating dinner. It had been a few days since the assassination attempt on Emmeryn was foiled and the group was planning on taking her to a hidden fort in the northwest. They were packing provisions and getting rest before the journey; something Chrom was grateful for. Walking over to the bar he picked up a plate and piled it high with boar meat and some grilled leeks. He walked to a table slowly to avoid dropping his food and sat down and tore into it, all the while thinking about what his friend said: ‘someone who amplifies your strengths and makes up for your weaknesses’. To him that sounded like someone with high defense and an axe, or maybe a mage who could help him with knights and generals.

His musings and attack on his plate were interrupted when he felt a pair of eyes on him. With a hunk of boar still in his mouth he looked up to see the taguel, Panne, watching him, “Impressive Lord-Spawn,” she said, “and here I was thinking I was the fastest eater in the army.” 

Chrom studied her for a moment. The taguel across from him had a neutral expression. Her dark brown hair braided around her long bunny ears were currently hanging down her chest while her ruby eyes studied him with something between curiosity and suspicion. Chrom finished chewing his boar before addressing her, “You still are. But you should know; it’s hard to beat you when you barely have anything on your plate.” He said. It was true; Chrom looked down at her tray and only saw a small pile of vegetables and some kind of flaky roll. 

Panne shrugged, “Taguel don’t eat the same things humans do; especially not meat.”

“Ahh.” ‘Makes sense,” he mused, ‘she turns into a giant bunny after all.’

The pair continued eating and chatting until Chrom suddenly recognized this was the first time he’s spoken to the taguel directly. It was interesting how she treated him, he mused, with the other members of the army he had to insist that he not be revered as nobility, and even after he got his point across they still seemed to be on their best behavior around him. It was a pleasant change, others may not have taken kindly her calling him ‘Lord-spawn,’ but it made him feel like Panne has no special regard for nobility.

‘Actually, she probably doesn’t’ he thought as they both finished eating.

As she got up from the table Panne smiled at him for the first time. It was small, but a smile nonetheless, “This has been… pleasant, Chrom.” She said, “In my past experiences I could not have a decent conversation with a human without the subject turning to the death of my people.”

He got up from the table as well, “This is really the first time we’ve talked so I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries.” Chrom explained, “And what happened to ‘Lord-Spawn’?”

Her expression went back to normal, “That is very considerate of you, but I am comfortable speaking of the incident so long as it does not get too personal.” She said, “As for your question: Your elder sister is a kind and compassionate soul, but I didn’t know what to expect from you. You and Robin lead this army with courage and compassion from what I’ve seen, but men can wear masks when put in power. Why? You almost seem disappointed.”

The lord shrugged, “I think of myself only as important as everyone else here. You talking to me as an equal and only thinking of my position as a different type of ‘spawn’ was… refreshing.”

Panne looked at him for a second, ‘His heartbeat didn’t increase. He’s not lying. Does he dislike being treated like a prince? Or, perhaps, being a prince?’ she thought, “If… If you wish, I could still call you lord-spawn, but I do not know how your cohorts would react. “

“You can call me whatever you feel like.” Then he tilted his head a bit, “Can I call you Panne? Or would you like me to call you by something else?”

“I suppose that is fair, Lord-spawn. Yes, I only have one name after all.” Panne answered.

Chrom smiled. This was going better than he expected! He was on a first name basis with yet another member of his growing army. Getting to know the people he would be going into battle with was one of the first things Fredrick had taught him when he formed the Shepherds. Chrom gathered his dirty dishes to go wash them and Panne followed suit, trailing behind him as the entered the washroom. There were a few other Shepherds washing dishes as well; Sully and Stahl we’re both chatting amicably as they dried their plates, and the archer, Virion, left the room as the two of them entered. The supposed nobleman nodded at the prince then sent a sly wink towards the taguel. Panne glared at Virion, who then feigned a hurt expression as he went around the corner and out of sight.

Chrom noticed the sour face, “Why’d you do that? Sure, he comes off a bit… odd, but why the death-stare?” he asked.

Panne scoffed, “His demeanor would be tolerable if he didn’t flirt with anything that even slightly resembles a woman.” She said, “I his mind I am only ‘exotic’. I will not be thought of as such, not as a taguel or a woman.”

Chrom only had one thing to say: “I can respect that.”

The two started cleaning their dishes in a comfortable silence. Sully and Stahl walked out after a few minutes, leaving them alone. Scrubbing the boar juice off his plate halfheartedly he looked up at his silent companion. Panne had pushed her ears onto her back to keep them from getting in the dish water. Her face was still scowling, but not as intensely as before. Her red eyes seemed distant like she was in deep thought, or maybe just as unenthused with cleaning dishes as he was. Chrom’s eyes then drifted down to the armor she wore. It was like nothing he had ever seen in the royal armory, or any other armory for that matter. The purple metal plates seemed to go all the way around her abdomen and breast all the way up to the pauldrons on her shoulders. The part that perplexed Chrom was the fact that there were no visible latches or clips to remove the armor, and there were no straps holding it to her body, it just seemed to stick to her because she willed it.

A cough alerted Chrom and his gaze moved up to see a very angry looking Panne looking back at him. She was glaring with even more intensity than she had before, Chrom could swear he could feel her ruby eyes burning a hole through him. Panne then silently picked up her things and walked out of the room.

Chrom was confused for a moment, and then the realization hit him like an axe, “Wait! Panne, it’s not what you think!” he said as he followed the fleeing taguel.

Panne turned on him with eyes still full of anger, “Well? Speak then human. What were you doing?”

Chrom collected his thoughts as fast as he could, “I was just wondering about your armor! It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I was curious. I swear that’s all.” He was definitely not the most practiced when it came to dealing with the opposite gender, even if he did have two sisters.

Panne’s eyes narrowed, ‘Again, there’s no hint of deception. Was he really only looking at my armor?’ she thought. Then a more cynical part of her mind piped up, ‘Of course he was. Did you really think the high and mighty prince of Ylisse would look at like that? You should be glad he’s even willing to talk to you.’ She grimaced inwardly at her own thoughts, ‘Right… I was being foolish. He was merely looking at my armor.’

She looked at Chrom’s pleading expression for a moment before speaking, “I’m sorry. I should not have judged you so quickly, although I should warn you; not all women would forgive so easily should this happen again.”

Chrom gave her a sheepish smile and nodded, “Right. Message received.”

Panne lessened her glare on him, “And if you truly are interested in my armor perhaps we could talk about it on the way to our tactician’s tent? I am going to see if he has chosen me a suitable partner for our next battle.”

Chrom nodded again, “Yeah… Yeah I’d like that. In fact, I should see him too.” He then motioned towards the barracks door, “Shall we?”

Panne stepped out of the barracks followed by Chrom. It was early evening by the time they finished dinner, so everyone in the army was winding down and getting ready for whatever the trek tomorrow might bring. A few of their number were sitting around the campfire talking quietly and the rest we’re either already asleep or somewhere out of sight.

“So what’s it made of? I’ve never seen that type of metal before and it stays on you when you shift as well. How does it do that?” Chrom asked.

He’d always been infatuated with different types and styles of armor and armaments, it was a harmless hobby, but it sometimes got him in trouble as a child when he would sneak into the palaces blacksmith quarter. He would always get caught by Fredrick right before he got to try anything on.

Panne smirked, “The reason you’ve never seen this kind of metal before is because it’s not metal.” She said. Chrom’s eyes widened a bit as she continued, “The taguel never relied on metallurgy like you humans do. We made our things out of more readily available resources, then imbued magic into them to make them last. My armor is made out of a rare wood, Ironbark, and was enchanted by my warrens magistrate when I was a child to stay with me when I shift and continue to fit me as I grew so I would never need a new set of armor.”

Chrom could hardly contain his awe, “I’ve never heard of that enchantment. The ones in my armor help negate the weight and keep it clean. How is it done?”

“I do not know. It is a lost art.” Panne said simply.

The lords enthusiasm turned into dread, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think-“

Panne cut him off, “I know you didn’t mean to, Chrom. I have been looking for writings preserved by my people detailing how it is done for a long time, but I fear it may truly be gone forever. Oh! I believe we’re almost there.”

Chrom stopped talking in and instead followed Panne as she weaved through the rows of tents. Before long, she and Chrom stood outside Robin’s tent. He had somehow gotten a different style than the rest of the army; his tent was dark purple instead of the normal white sheets like the others. The tent looked sewn together by thick gold bands and seemed to have weird markings covering the sides. Chrom thought it was a bit odd, but it fit the man living inside: Unique and a bit scary.

Panne pulled one of the tents flaps out of the way and the two walked in. They were greeted by the sight of a hooded man sitting at a small desk bathed in candlelight. He was muttering to himself and scribbling away on a piece of parchment, occasionally flipping through the book next to him before resuming. The tent was a mess. Robin himself was surrounded by little piles of ripped, crumpled, or otherwise destroyed parchment. His weapons, tomes, and extra clothes littered the ground around him. It looked like chaos at its finest. He kept writing frantically on the paper in front of him seemingly unaware of the two figures that had just entered his tent.

Chrom coughed loud enough to grab his attention and the man jumped. He fell off his stool and landed on his back, groaning in pain. Chrom went over and helped his friend up; the tactician grumbled something and accepted Chrom’s outstretched hand.

As Robin stood up his hood fell back and Panne got her first good look at the Shepherds mastermind. He was short, around a foot and a half shorter than Panne and Chrom, but she already knew that. His hair fell down to his shoulders and was black as night. His face, well, his face was not very masculine to say the least, and with the concealing robes he wears all the time he could easily pass for a young girl. His voice was slightly high pitched just to top it all off.

All in all: He looked powerless.

But Panne knew better than to judge someone by their looks; she could turn into an enormous beast capable of taking down an armored knight, after all.

Robin pulled his hood back up, “Chrom, Panne, you’re both here for your partner assignments?” he asked, though it sounded like more of a statement, “Well I have been thinking about you two a lot. It’s a tough decision because your skill sets and equipment are so unique…”

The tactician seemed to drift off halfway through the sentence and turned back to his papers, mumbling and searching through them aimlessly. Chrom was about to get his attention again when Robin suddenly turned around alarmingly fast. His eyes seemed to glow with the light of a man who just had a brilliant and/or crazy idea. His mumbling never stopped, except now he was looking at Chrom and Panne as he did it, making it much creepier. After enough time passed to make the event downright weird; Robin went silent.

Then his face stretched into a smile, “I have an idea!” he announced.

 

The Lord and the Taguel walked out of the tent.

“When I was young my mother would tell me stories of people like him.” Panne started, “She would tell me tales of ancient benefactors who would appear to help a warren on the eve of a battle. She called them Sarmir, supernatural agents that brought knowledge of the coming battle. She described them as small, impish creatures that would always be concealed in dark robes with masks that had smiling or laughing faces carved into them.” She said, “I was never really able to picture them as a child, but now I can’t see them as anything but Robin.”

Chrom laughed, “I could see that, though his attire is… peculiar enough. No need to add a smiling mask to the mix.”

Apart from the interesting story from his walking companion, Chrom was also thinking about the news their tactician recently gave them…

“You two will be partners! It’s the perfect match because Chrom, your Falchion will never need to be replaced, but we have no replacements for Panne’s beaststone! So Chrom, you will cut a bloody swath through most of the easier enemies while Panne will clean up any of the tougher ones. You’ll become one of the most terrifying units the battlefield has ever seen! You’ve even started to get to know each other! I’m such a genius!”

It seemed more like a spur of the moment thing than the plan of a genius, but Chrom kept these thoughts to himself. He looked over at the taguel who would now have his back in the upcoming battles. Panne had taken the news without question, merely nodding in affirmation when Chrom asked if she was fine with the arrangement. As they walked, the taguel absentmindedly tugged on the braids enveloping her ears and looked at the ground. She was smiling, a rare sight probably brought on by remembering her mother’s stories.

As they reached the center of the camp, Chrom spoke, “So I guess I’ll see you on the march tomorrow?”

Panne nodded, “Yes. I hope we get your sister to our destination safetly.” She said, “Goodnight, Chrom.”

“Goodnight.”


End file.
